Fireheart? No Flame
by Jenava293
Summary: Fireheart is driven out by his clan after preventing a battle with Windclan. Fleeing to the safety of Twolegplace, Fireheart comes across a new clan. A new family. Bloodclan. But what he finds is not what he, or anyone else expects.
1. Prologue

**Well, well, well. Another idea stuck in my head that just had to come out on paper. I'm just winging this one so I'll probably have some questions at the end of each chapter to decide what I should do.**

**Also, yes, I did change my name for reasons I am unable to disclose and **_**yes **_**I will update on my Maximum Ride Fanfic, I've just been out of town for the holidays.**

**Just so you all know, I'm putting this story up on Wattpad a day earlier than Fanfiction so if you can't possibly wait, go check out my Wattpad Jenava293.**

**Enough of this, onwards!**

**This font = Point of View**

Prologue:

Fireheart

My breath was coming in ragged breaths out of my throat but I, Fireheart, former deputy of Thunderclan was forced to run even faster. The sound of cats, former clanmates sped me up, heading towards the border and the relative safety of Twolegplace. A small thrumming of pawsteps alerted me to a cat getting much to close, so I turned around for a split second and found myself face-to-face with Dustpelt.

Dustpelt leaped at me, fury in his eyes, but I just batted him away before continuing to run. Breaking out of the forest, I knew I was safe, so I turned around and waited. Sure enough, 5 cats broke out of the forest soon after. Graystripe, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, Whitestorm, and Bluestar. They stood at the edge of the forest and hissed at me in fury.

I hadn't done anything wrong, but my clan, my friends, had driven me out after I prevented a war between us and Windclan. My anger started emerging rapidly, and before I turned around to enter my new life as a loner or a rogue, I hissed at the cats I was leaving behind.

"_You will pay for what you are doing, know that." _I hissed to Bluestar. "_And as for the rest of you...Keep your eyes open. Keep your ears pricked. Keep looking behind you. Because one day I'll find you and then you'll be worse than crowfood."_

The brief fear in their eyes was enough for me, and I turned away, leaving my old life behind.

Sandstorm

Fireheart. I can't believe I loved that foxheart! He gave away our plan to attack Windclan, the traitor! Bluestar's punishment of exile made all cats in Thunderclan happy. We were finally rid of the kittypet nuisance.

Bluestar, Whitestorm, Dustpelt, Graystripe and I chased Fireheart out of our territory, into Twolegplace. We were confident we were making the right choice by chasing him out, but when he hissed his warning at us, we were all unsettled.

Fireheart disappeared from view, and we padded slowly back to camp. No one spoke but I could see the fear in their eyes and could feel the fear in myself. Anyone who knew Fireheart, even a little is that he always fulfilled a promise.

Bluestar called a clan meeting almost immediately after arriving back at camp, and informed the clan that Fireheart had disappeared into Twolegplace, but did not tell them about what he had said..

"Let him go back to being a kittypet!" Longtail jeered. "Bringing him in was a mistake all along." And so started a new, prosperous, happier time for Thunderclan.

Fireheart/Flame

_**Skip 4 Days:**_

Time in Twolegplace really hardens you. I had killed already, and my scratches were many from fighting over food. Hopefully, I would have more luck in this new alley, packed so full of trash that it would be surprising if there weren't any rats. I walked stealthily into the dark, and sniffed for prey-scent.

My nose picked up a faint, yet fresh scent of rat, and I stalked after it. I finally caught sight of the biggest rat I had seen yet in this place. My haunches waggled back and forth and I prepared to leap when I was interrupted with a hiss. The rat turned its head and quickly disappeared into the piles of trash.

I turned, angry that someone had disturbed my catch, and saw a gray tom with yellow eyes standing in the mouth of the alley, flanked by two lithe black she cats. Their fur stood on end, and their hackles were raised.

"What are you doing in my alley?" the gray tom hissed.

"I'm hunting, what does it look like mouse-brain?" I hissed back, claws unsheathed. "And I was doing a fine job too until you came along. So why don't you leave me alone and find your own hunting spot?"

"One problem with that _kitty_." the tom sneered. "My name is Shadow, I am the deputy of Darkclan, and this is _my_ alley. So you better leave unless you want more than just a few scratches."

I debated my options, but my belly that was wailing in pain decided it for me. "If you want me to leave, make me.' I hissed, calling on all my battle moves I had ever learned.

"Black, Grey, attack." the tom said calmly, and the two cats on either side of him, Black and Grey apparently, leaped towards me.

I dodged a swipe from Black and flicked a claw up her face, causing her to hiss in pain. Grey swiped at my hindquarters, and I turned to slash at her, but was caught off balance when Black jumped on me. Rolling was my only option, so I squished Black, leaped up, and slashed her neck wide open.

My eyes barely lingered on her dead body before I turned to Grey. The she-cat was more nervous now that her clanmate was dead, but she still leaped, right into my outstretched claws. Her eyes widened and she slid down, blood gurgling from the stab marks in her throat.

The tom was still in the mouth of the alley, hissing in anger, eyes staring in disbelief at Black and Grey.

"Still want to drive me out?" I asked mockingly.

"No." the tom replied. "Now I just want to kill you." He leaped, crashing into me, and we fell to the ground, rolling around, slashing at each others' muzzles and using our back legs to tear at each others' stomachs.

Blood was starting to drip out of mine so I pushed at the tom, dislodging him and sending him flying. He hit the wall with a thud and lay there. I staggered over to the tom and saw that his neck had been cut on a piece of wood sticking out of the wall.

"Never mess with me." I hissed, staring down at him. "Or you'll regret it." The light in the tom's eyes hardened in anger before dying and becoming dull.

I finally realized how exhausted I was and I managed to stagger into the shadow of a wall before collapsing into a deep, dark sleep.

The screeches of surprise woke me. I looked around and saw almost immediately three cats standing over the body of the dead tom and the two dead she-cats. One of the cats was massive, almost as big as Tigerclaw. There was also a smaller black cat and a medium-sized brown cat. Faintly, I managed to hear them talking.

"How did they die?" one asked. They were the best fighters of Darkclan. "More importantly, who killed them?" said another voice. The cats turned around looking at this question, and I saw the black one's eyes focus on me.

"There." he said. "That must be the cat who killed them."

The cats advanced towards me, and I struggled to my paws, head swimming slightly, paws heavy. Even though I felt like sinking to the ground, I forced myself to stay upright and unsheathed my claws, back arching and fur bristling.

"Who are you?" the big cat rumbled. "What's your name?"

I decided I couldn't win a battle against them, but I knew I couldn't tell them my real name. "Flame." I found myself saying strongly. "My name is Flame."

**Yay! Prologue done! Next are allegiances so it would be helpful if I could get some names and descriptions? Please? I need them mainly for Darkclan and Bloodclan. **

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	2. Allegiances

**And so it begins. The infamous daily update. One of the hardest things a writer can put upon themselves… You can thank me later. **

**Just so you know, the main clans and groups being introduced are Bloodclan (duh), Darkclan, Bloodclan's main rival in Twolegplace, and Shadows, a group of cats that will come along later… (foreshadowing...).**

**Allegiances:**

**Bloodclan:**

Leader:

Scourge - small black tom with icy blue eyes and single white paw

Deputy:

Bone - huge, muscular, battle-scarred, black-and-white tom with green eyes

Personal Guard:

Ice - pale female tabby with piercing blue eyes and one black paw

Snake - tom with pure brown coat and light brown eyes

Brick - reddish-brown tom with yellow eyes

Flame - pure ginger tom with a scar down the side of his face

Warriors:

Scar - black tom covered in scars

Frost - light brown female tortoiseshell with dark blue eyes

Blaze - tom with brown coat and stripes of ginger

Sting - pure black tom with 3 white paws

Talon - dirty brown tom with russet stripes and blue eyes

Hail - sand-colored she-cat with brown stripes and dark green eyes

Ember - russet she-cat with black stripes and green eyes

Ash - grey tom with white paws and blue eyes

Tree - brown tabby she-cat with light grey eyes

Snow - white she-cat with blue spots and blue eyes

**Darkclan:**

Leader:

Rock - very dark grey tom with light grey stripes, amber eyes, and one white paw

Deputy 1:

Edge- grey tom with black stripe down his face and yellow eyes

Deputy 2:

Black - pure black she-cat with two brown paws and one white one

Deputy 3:

Grey- light black she-cat with blue eyes and white rings around the tail

Warriors:

Stick - small brown tabby she-cat with light-grey eyes

Moon - pure blue she-cat with light yellow eyes

Star - light-blue she-cat with dark blue stripes and light yellow eyes

Sun - golden tom with a red underbelly and light yellow eyes

**Shadows:**

Leader:

Dark - she-cat with a pure black pelt and deep black eyes

Warriors:

Dusk - tom with a pure black pelt and dark blue eyes

Night - she-cat with a pure black pelt and dark green eyes

Black - tom with pure black pelt and dark red eyes

Shade - tom with a pure black pelt and dark yellow eyes

Shadows:

No one knows the Shadow's names, not even the other Shadows.

**Yes! I managed it! Just so everyone knows, these characters may be added onto later so you can still send me ideas! Also, these are just the characters that we'll actually see, each of the different groups (except for the Shadows) have way more cats that we will never really know names or appearances. Next chapter we introduce Bloodclan…**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	3. Chapter 1: Enter Bloodclan

**Bloodclan. You know them well. Or do you? These next few chapters will give a new perspective on Bloodclan you have never seen before… Also, in this story, Flame becomes a really good fighter, better than any ever seen. I just won't tell you how just yet...**

"Flame" the small black one said. "What an interesting name for an interesting cat… Tell me, how did you manage to defeat Edge, Black, and Grey?"

"Them?" I questioned, pointing my tail at the dead bodies. "I just fought them? Why?"

"Why?" Rumbled the big one. "_Why?_ Only because Edge, Black, and Grey are the three deputies and best fighters of Darkclan! That's why!"

"Yes." said the brown cat, coming into the conversation. "Almost no one has been able to defeat _one _in battle on their own, much less all three! That, that is completely unheard of!"

"Who are you really, Flame?" said the black one again. "Where do you come from?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I said harshly, pelt starting to bristle again. "I don't know anything about you. For all I know, you could be members of this 'Darkclan' come to get revenge on me."

"Wise." said the black cat. "Because you asked, I am Scourge, leader of Bloodclan, the biggest power in Twolegplace, challenged only by Darkclan who will soon be crushed."

"I am Bone." said the large one, "Deputy of Bloodclan."

"And I am Snake." said the brown one. "One of Scourge's personal guards, one of the best in Bloodclan."

"And now." said the black tom, Scourge, I guess said. "I ask you for the final time. Who are you really and where do you come from?"

"You would be wise to answer." growled Bone when I hesitated at the truth. I came to a decision and told them what I was.

"I am a former forest cat." I said to the obvious surprise of Scourge, Bone, and Snake. "Exiled by my clanmates and bent on taking revenge. I've been in Twolegplace 4 days, and my former name was Fireheart." I was finished with my story when on a whim I added, "May I join you."

"You may join only if the rest of the clan accepts you. You have already proven yourself here" Scourge said, gesturing to Edge, Black, and Gray, "but the rest of Bloodclan doesn't accept so easily. Follow us."

This opportunity made me grin in excitement, for a clan full of ruthless Twolegplace cats would be a perfect way to get revenge on the clans, if of course, I could find a way to persuade them to attack. Scourge and his clanmates led me through the streets of Twolegplace until we came to an area strong with the scent of cats.

"We are here." said Scourge. "Welcome to Bloodclan." My new scent caused cats to turn towards us and follow, some eyes curious, others hostile. I faced it all without a flinch or a grin.

"Snake, go and get the rest of the guard." ordered Scourge, face already a cold mask. "Bone, collect the cats for a meeting to decide Flame's fate."

Both Bone and Snake went sprinting off to get cats, while Scourge led me to a pile of scrapcans towering into the air above the area of flat ground around it. I stayed at the bottom of the pile while Scourge leaped to the top despite his small size and more cats that I had ever seen, even at a gathering, assembled below the pile.

Most of the cats were giving me glances, but a few were glaring at me, although I was not sure why. Bone returned right after Snake, who was leading two other cats, a pale female tabby with really blue, piercing eyes and one black paw in the front right. The other cat was a muscular reddish-brown tom with yellow eyes.

All of the cats settled, Snake and the rest of the guard around me, and Scourge spoke, power oozing out of his voice. "Cats of Bloodclan. Most of you are wondering who this cat" and he gestured down to me, "is. His name is Flame and he would like to join us."

Yowlings of protest and a few of agreement rang out and Scourge just waited, watching me, seeing how I would respond. I took it all without movement, and the voices finally quieted down.

"I have seen this cat's worthiness!" yowled Scourge. "I'm sure you all know Edge, Black, and Gray, correct?" At this statement, Scourge was met with hisses of anger and agreement.

"This cat, Flame, did something _none_ of us have ever been able to do before." The clearing was silent, all eyes trained on me. "This cat, Flame, killed Black. He killed Gray. He killed _Edge_."

The clearing was silent, eyes looking at me in shock and disbelief. "There's no way!" shouted a black tom with white paws, standing up and facing me. "Even some of our best fighters were unable to defeat them! I won't believe it until I see it!"

"Very well." said Scourge calmly. "If you would like to be one of the three who fight him, please come forward." The black tom came up almost immediately, followed by another black tom completely covered in scars.

"Anyone else?" Scourge called. The clearing was still for a few moments until one of the guards stood up and walked to the other side of me. "Very well." Scourge said. "Scar, Sting, and Ice, you will fight and try to defeat Flame. No death, if possible, and claws out."

With that, Scourge leaped down from the pile of scrapcans and moved into a large circle with the rest of Bloodclan. I sighed, already tired, and prepared yet again to fight three.

A small twitch of Sting's ear alerted me to his leap. I slid forwards underneath him and pushed up with my hind legs, sending him flying up into the air. He hadn't even landed when a small swish allowed me to dodge to the side and rake my claws down Scar's pelt, adding to his collection. Ice was standing back, watching, and I made a note not to use all my moves yet.

Sting was starting to struggle up so I went over and put my claws to his throat. "_Stand down._" I hissed. "_You would be dead right now if I was trying to kill you."_ Sting hastily agreed and backed into the crowd who closed around him.

Scar turned, hissing and spitting, and he leaped again, exposing his underbelly for a split second. I took advantage and leaped into him, hooking my claws into his stomach and pushing him back with my hind legs. His belly tore open, not completely, but enough to make him bleed heavily.

With two out of the way and the whole of Bloodclan looking at me with more respect, I turned to Ice who was observing me with narrow eyes. We started circling, and I found I couldn't read Ice's face. '_I guess I'll have to run on pure reflexes then.' _I thought, before Ice leapt forwards,not up, but down, ramming into my legs.

Ice managed to flip me, but I used my momentum to land on her back and twist her hind leg up to her side. My claws tore at her stomach and she quickly fell, allowing me to hold her in place using her leg.

"Do you yield?" I questioned. "I don't want to have to hurt you more than necessary." Ice just growled and after trying to get free, gave up. I got off her allowing her to stand and faced the cats of Bloodclan.

Scourge walked to my side and touched his tail to my shoulder. "I believe that Flame is worthy of being brought into Bloodclan and after seeing what he can do, I would be honored to have him in my Personal Guard." he said, speaking quietly so that cats had to strain to listen. His voice strengthened when he turned to me. "Welcome to Bloodclan, Flame."

**Ohh… Flame is a personal guard? I don't think you guys really know how difficult that is. In fact, Snake, Brick, Bone, and Ice are only personal guards (yes, Bone is technically also a personal guard) because they were supporters of Scourge from the beginning. I wonder how each of the others in the guard will feel…**

**By the way, this story is going to be going on for a long time. I think the plan is 50 chapters, and at least one or two other books following the same idea. Unless, of course, interest is lost...**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	4. Chapter 2: Personal Guard?

**Yay! Flame is part of Bloodclan! Yeah, sorry for the late update today, but I had a family thing and was only **_**just**_ **able to get on to give you guys a chapter. Yes, I am really doing 50 chapters, but at this rate, the book will take a little less than 2 months to complete. Whew, I've never taken on a project like this before…**

**Anyways, enough boring you with the details of my thoughts and life, lets make Flame an official Personal Guard...**

Scourge had Ice and Snake show me around the territory and introduce me to all the cats that didn't come. There were plenty of cats, estimations of 50-100, some of which were battle-scarred, others which looked new, and a few still bearing the collars of kittypets.

"Why are there kittypets here?" I asked Snake. Ice snorted and answered before Snake could. "Why do you think, _kitty_? These kittypets are here for two reasons. They were either abandoned by their Twolegs or they were forcibly inducted into Bloodclan when Scourge took over their territory."

"Wow." I muttered. "That's a big word, don't hurt yourself." Ice reacted almost instantly, whipping around, claws outstretched, but I just calmly stepped out of the way, not flinching when her claws ruffled the air where I just was.

"You done yet Ice?" I asked, laughing at the expression of pure rage on her face. "Or do you want a repeat of the previous fight?" Ice just growled and stalked away, further into Twolegplace.

While I walked around the dirty, grimy streets and dark, smelly alleys, following Ice, I noticed that most cats, seemed… not quite angry, but annoyed with me.

"Why does it seem like people don't like me?" I asked Snake quietly. "What did I do to offend them?"

"Oh, I don't know..." he replied sarcastically. "Maybe because you became a _personal guard_ almost immediately after joining the clan? Most of the cats here have been striving to become a personal guard their _whole lives_. Even Ice, Bone, and myself are only personal guards because of our deep commitment to Scourge from when he first came into Twolegplace. To most people, you just appearing and taking one of the most coveted spots besides leader is insulting to all they've done their whole life."

"But, that's dumb!" I replied indignantly. "I didn't choose to become a personal guard! I just became one!"

"Doesn't matter around here." Snake replied sadly. "If you want the full support and respect of the clan and cats you will be living with, you must find some way to prove yourself. Now come, Ice and I must teach you about what you are now."

Snake beckoned with his tail, and I followed him through an alley to an abandoned Twoleg nest. The nest loomed above me, but even I, with little experience, could tell it was old, and that Twolegs had abandoned it al long time ago. Snake leaped through an open window, and I followed, to see that Ice was already there, pacing back and forth and muttering to herself.

Snake loudly cleared his throat, causing Ice to jump, but she recovered quickly and turned to face me, not even trying to hide her anger towards me for being there.

"Nice to see you could make it." she sneered in contempt. "Thought you would get lost following Snake. Oh well, it'll happen sooner or later."

"Ice…" Snake meowed warningly. "Scourge said we must teach him, whether _you_ like it or not. Flame must know all there is to know about a guard, unless you want to face Scourge's anger…"

"Fine." Ice grumbled, obviously scared of what Scourge might do, and I was tempted to make a comment. A look from Snake when I opened my mouth, however, was enough to stop me.

"First." snarled Ice. "You must be prepared at _all times_ to give up your life for Scourge. If you had a chance to save him and you choose not to, you will be mercilessly killed or forever driven from the clan."

Snake quickly added his thoughts. "Yes, that is true" he said hastily. "But it you try your best to defend Scourge and still fail, you will not have as bad of a punishment. Most likely you will be stripped of rank and scorned by most cats, but you will be alive and able to stay."

"Second." Ice said, obviously angry at Snake for barging in. "You will be asked by Scourge to go on special missions, many of which are dangerous, or ones that will put you in situations that you will hate. Failure to complete these missions will result in no prey for 5 sunrises."

"Yes, but you are allowed to hunt out of Bloodclan territory, just… not advised." Snake butted in, causing Ice to shoot a glare at him.

"_Finally…_" Ice said, giving Snake a look saying '_if you say anything after this, you're dead'_ "you will be assigned 10 cats in Bloodclan that will be your responsibility to watch over, advise, and direct in battle. These cats will come to you to solve disputes, and will give you information. You will be expected to report this information back to Scourge, but you bother him with disputes _only_ if it is severe enough. _Is that clear?_"

"Ma'am yes ma'am." I said sarcastically, making Ice even more angry. "I'll do everything I can to serve Scourge, even at the cost of my own life."

"Good to see he can do _something_…" I heard Ice mutter in response. "Now come on pretty kitty. We've got to go get you your ten cats of assignment."

**Yeah, yeah, I know. Short chapter and all that but I'm gonna make them a little bit longer, especially the next one where we meet the ten cats Flame is going to have to live with and make friends with. Any guesses? **

**Also, The Shadows are going to be introduced after Flame has been integrated into the clan, but before the one, the only Tigerstar comes along.**

**One more warning. Be prepared in the next two chapters to see some familiar faces. Ones that Flame doesn't want to see…**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	5. Chapter 3: Meeting the Crew

**This story is doing great so far, and there are gonna be a few plot twists… but from the PM's and reviews I have been receiving, some people are confused by the beginning. I tried my best but I guess I gotta give in so…**

**Okay, some explanations are in order, and since I'm kinda winging this story, I can easily fit this in.**

"So, Fireheart." Snake asked me while we walked to meet my so called 'assigned cats'. "How did you manage to defeat Edge, Black, and Gray so easily? I mean, some of our best fighters aren't able to defeat _one_ of them. So how on Earth did you manage?"

"Snake?" I asked quietly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure." Snake replied cautiously. "What is it?"

"I … I'm really not sure how I defeated them. I think part of it was luck, because Black slipped a little bit during the fight, allowing me to slit her stomach, and Gray practically jumped into my claws. And even if me fighting Black and Gray was pure skill, if Edge had joined that fight sooner, I probably would be lying dead in that alley. I'm really not sure what restrained him."

"Ummm…" Snake said. "I really wasn't expecting that. You managed to defeat Scar, Sting, and Ice easily enough."

"True." I muttered. "But I learned techniques for fighting multiple opponents in the forest and Scar and Sting weren't the hardest to fight. Ice was the hardest one, and even she was easy to overpower with weight."

"Wait, wait, wait, _hold up_." Snake said, interrupting me. "Did you just say you learned techniques for fighting multiple opponents _in the forest_?"

"Oh crap." I said, more to myself than anyone else. "No one was supposed to know that."

"Wait, so you used to be a forest cat?" Snake said, backing away a little bit.

"Yeah." I replied, the weariness creeping slightly into my voice. "I used to. But I've left that part of my life behind."

"Why? What happened?" Snake said, the curiosity clear in his meow. "Why did you leave? I heard the forest was a great place to live!"

"Well… I… Um… I was driven out by my clanmates, okay? I prevented an unnecessary battle from happening, which I'm not quite sure why, made all my clanmates angry at me. I was literally _forced out of the forest_. I had nowhere to go but here."

"Hey, Flame, if you want, we could go get revenge on them." Snake said eagerly. "We could kill a couple, hurt some more. We could make them regret kicking you out."

"Snake, no." I replied in annoyance. "Even with a few others, Thunderclan would outnumber us 5-1, not to mention I'm not really that angry about it anymore. I've moved on, come to enjoy this new life in Bloodclan, despite the hardships. If I had no choice, I would fight my former clanmates, but otherwise I would be fine leaving them alone."

"Okay… If you say so." Snake replied, unconvinced. "Even if you don't want to hurt them, we could visit sometime to see if they even feel anything, if they have any regrets for demolishing your life and hurting you irrevocably."

"I… guess." I replied. "Why don't we go after I meet my consorts? Just so I don't change my mind."

"Sure, but for now, let's catch up to Ice." I started, not even realizing how far ahead Ice had gotten, Snake and I ran side by side to catch up to her, arriving just when she entered an abandoned alleyway.

"Come out and meet your new leader!" Ice shouted loudly, some contempt for me still lingering in her voice. Two cats emerged from a group of cardboard boxes. Another three came stalking out of the shadows. Four more jumped from a pile of scrapcans. The final cat came walking straight out of the alley itself.

"This" said Ice, gesturing to me with her tail. "Is Flame. He, as I'm sure you know Scar and Sting, a newly appointed personal guard, and he is assigned to lead over and assist your little group. Have fun."

I barely managed to comprehend what Ice was saying, but when two familiar cats stepped forwards, sneering at me, I recognized the two cats besides Ice who opposed me most.

"You have got to be kidding me." I groaned under my breath. "Not those two."

Ice, oblivious to my dismay at having Scar and Sting in my little group, continued on. "Flame, you already know these two, but this is Ember." I looked over and saw a russet she-cat with black stripes and green eyes who was staring at me in awe. "This is Frost." Another she-cat stepped forwards, this one a light brown tortoiseshell with dark blue eyes.

"Blaze." This time a tom stepped forwards, with a brown coat and stripes of ginger, his eyes were a neutral color I cannot quite describe. The rest of the cats were Talon, a large, dirty-brown tom with russet stripes on his face and blue eyes, Hail, and sand-colored she-cat with brown stripes and dark green eyes, Ash, a grey tom with white paws and blue eyes, Tree, a brown tabby she-cat with light grey eyes, and Snow, a white she-cat with blue spots and eyes.

Talon and Ash, I could tell, didn't like me. Blaze seemed okay, but I couldn't get a read on Hail or Tree. Ember was obviously in awe with me for some strange reason, and Snow was just staring at me with love in her eyes.

'_Great'_' I thought. '_More complications, this time in the form of an admirer.'_

"Well" Snake said abruptly. "Me and Flame must be off. We have some… _business_ to attend to." he quickly walked off, and after giving the cats I would be friends with eventually one glance, I followed.

We walked quickly, avoiding cats when possible, and making excuses when not. Before long, I found myself at the Edge of the forest, a place I never thought I would be again.

"Shall we?" asked Snake confidently, despite the fear scent coming off him.

"Do what, exactly?" a voice interrupted, making me jump and whirl quickly. "_Ice"_ I hissed. "_I should have known._"

"Ice." Snake said. "Leave. This does not concern you, it concerns Flame. And because I am his _friend_, it also concerns me."

"That doesn't matter, I still want to know _where_ you are going and _why_. Unless you want me to report you to Scourge... Of course, I might do that already."

"Okay, fine, fine." I quickly shouted, anger barely in check despite the fact I was normally cool and collected. "We're going into the forest for a time to see my old home and old clanmates to see what happened after they kicked me out."

"And….?" said Ice prompting me and obviously sensing more.

"And, I want to see if they regret their decision of kicking of kicking me out."

"Okay, when do we leave?" Ice replied, apparently satisfied.

"Wait a minute." I said. "What do you mean _we_? You hate me. Why would you want to participate in something involving _my_ life?"

"Oh, no,no, no. I don't care about your life. I just want to make sure Snake comes home alive."

"Okay, fair enough." I grumbled, not happy with it, but unable to really protest. "We leave now."

**Okay, I know some people were confused by the fast-paced beginning, and so I did my best to explain some things here. If you have any more questions, contact me and I'll help clear it up. **

**Also I **_**FINALLY**_ **got my profile page up. It isn't much now, but I'll continue to work on it. **

**Just so you know, tomorrow is gonna be hectic for me so I'm writing this at frickin' 2:40 in the morning and I'm tired as heck. Of course, you can thank me later.**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	6. Chapter 4: Enter the Forest

**Yep. This is being written at 11:00 at night so again, just thank me later. So, before you continue, who do you think Flame and Co. are going to meet? Or are they even going to make it to the forest? Also, sorry for the strange typo in the last chapter where I repeated that one phrase twice. And away we go!**

I still wasn't sure of my decision of going with Flame and Snake, I, in reality, had no clue why I wanted to come. All I know is I didn't really think Snake would die out there. He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. However _Flame_ on the other hand was a flea-pelted piece of fox-dung who got lucky _one_ time and became a personal guard.

I hated him for that. Who does he think he is, walking into Bloodclan, already bragging about his kills of the three deputies of Darkclan, getting Scourge's approval before even being presented to the clan, and finally, growing his reputation and ego way too much after defeating Scar, Sting, and myself. I still think he got lucky in unbalancing me, I really do have great balance.

"So." I sneered at Flame, walking in front with Snake padding along beside him. "Does the self-called '_great and powerful_' Flame know where we're even going? Or did the poor forest cat already get lost in the _horrible_ maze of Twolegplace?"

Flame obviously heard the sarcasm in my voice, and looked a little annoyed, but replied with a calm, easygoing response. "Yeah, the forest is right around the corner." And of course, he was right. We turned the corner and there the forest was.

"Are you ready?" I heard Snake whisper to Flame, glancing back at me.

"Not... really." Flame replied, the first anxiousness and was that… fear? I had heard in a long time creeping into his voice. "I was ordered to be killed on sight so we better be careful. I'm assuming if any of you are caught with me, you'll also be killed."

I scoffed. "Like the forest cats could do anything to us!"

"Oh you don't know." Flame murmured back. "Oh you don't know."

"Well." said Snake, clearing his throat, clearly also scared after hearing Flame's revelation. "Shall we?" and he gestured to the forest with his tail, indicating Flame to go first.

Flame took a deep breath and took the few steps that took him into the forest. "Home" he breathed, so faint I could barely hear. And then without another word, he walked fully into the forest and disappeared from view.

"Well…" Snake said slowly. "Do you want to go next or do you want me to…?"

\ "And make me be by that fleabag?" I replied in disbelief. "No thanks! I don't want to catch a cold from his stench!"

Snake just gave me a look, one that I chose to ignore, and then followed Flame. After only a moment's hesitation, I followed. I had entered the forest.

Flame and Snake were already far ahead, so I bounded forwards to catch up to them.

"Quiet!" Flame hissed, crouching down. "I can smell a patrol. They seem to be heading away from us, but I can't be sure." Both Snake and I crouched quickly, belly brushing the forest floor.

"Come on." Flame said again after a moment. "Follow me." While we weaved through the forest, it was clear to me that Flame was more comfortable here than in Bloodclan. Even despite the fact he has a 'kill on sight' policy put upon him.

"We're almost to camp." Flame whispered, and I opened my mouth for a second to be blasted with a wild amount of smells. Overwhelming cat smell was coming from up ahead, but all around I smelled prey, making my mouth water. I had never smelled this much prey before in one place!

"Don't even think about it." Flame meowed quietly at me. "We're too close to camp. Maybe we can get a few pieces on the way out." I look up ahead and saw that we were approaching a sandy ravine with a thorn barrier at the bottom.

"Is that it?" I asked curiously, Snake also looking ahead.

"Yes" Flame said, seriousness in his voice. "But to see it, we must go around and push ourselves through a secret entrance behind the nursery. Follow me and _don't get caught_." We pushed forward silently, and before long we came to a small hole in the barrier. I was about to ask another question, but Flame quickly put his tail over my mouth and gave me a look saying 'no talking until we're out and far away'.

I quickly nodded agreement and we pushed our way through the hole, thorns scraping at our pelts. I emerged last into one of the best places I had ever seen. But I also emerged to see Flame standing there, still hidden but hackles raised, staring at a sandy-colored she-cat and a dark brown tabby tom who had their tails twined.

I didn't know what was so wrong about this until I saw the extreme pain in Flame's eyes. '_Former mates_' I thought. '_Or maybe want-to-be mates_'. All I knew was that the rage in Flame's eyes outweighed the pain by much, so much that I had never seen this much rage in him. And then, of course, a small dark-tabby tom with amber eyes walked around the back of the nursery, eyes open wide when he noticed us.

"Intruders!" he shouted loudly, causing cats, so many cats to come running out from nests and dens. I walked over the the small cat and was about to slit his throat when Flame put his tail on my shoulder and said, "Wait."

Cats surrounded us, pelts bristling, claws unsheathed, and ushered us into the middle of the clearing. A white tom strode forwards, through the group of cats to stand in front of us.

"What are you doing, interfering in our camp?" he thundered, voice powerful.

"Oh, Whitestorm, don't you remember me?" Flame sneered, smirk on his face. "Don't _any _of you remember me?" he said, turning, face turning into a snarl. "Or did you just forget once driving me out?"

The tom's face, _Whitestorm's_ face looked confused for a moment but suddenly recognition flowed into his face and he gasped in surprise. "Fireheart?" he asked slowly, somewhat fearfully. "What are you doing here?"

"First of all, it's Flame now." Flame said. "Second, I was just passing through," he said, lie flowing smoothly out of his mouth. "Wanted to see how you were getting along without me before I moved on forever."

"The truth is…" Whitestorm said slowly. "We really need you right now. Bluestar is dead, I am leader now, Tigerstar is trying to take over the forest, and my last deputy, Runningwind just died. We need someone like you. We need someone strong."

"You didn't need me when you drove me out." Flame snarled. "And I have a new group now. I will _never _come back. I'll stay for a day or two, nothing more and then I will leave and you will never see me again. Isn't that what you all really want?" he said, turning around, burning eyes touching each and every cat. No one could truly meet his gaze, and Flame turned back to Whitestorm, no, Whitestar.

"I will leave in two sunrises." Flame said. "And don't expect me to help with all your problems." With that, Flame stalked through the circle of cats, most of which were dumbstruck, staring after Flame, and out through the real entrance to the camp.

A quick look at Snake and we both followed, strolling easily through the cats who had just been dangerous looking, and were just now looking defeated.

'_Well_' I thought. '_Guess we have two days here. Let's make the best of them._'

**Well, you asked for it and you got it! New perspective, this one from Ice! Few questions:**

**Do you think Ice, Snake, and Flame should report back to Scourge?**

**Will everyone still hate Flame?**

**Thanks for your support so far, it really means a lot to me and if you have any ideas for any part of this story or another one, feel free to share, I won't discriminate!**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	7. Chapter 5: Plotting Against Thunderclan?

**Well, I **_**guess**_ **I'll be nice. This is going to be the final chapter for a while from a perspective besides Flame's, so enjoy it while you can! Any guesses from whose perspective it will be from? **

**Also, just so you all know, I am tired and stressed right now and it is highly likely this will be a chapter on the shorter side. Okay, enough of this, you want to get right into the story don't ya!**

'_Fireheart?'_ I thought in disbelief when he entered camp. '_Back here? What doesn't he understand about 'you're not welcome?' But… we really do need his help. As deputy, I must do my best to go and convince him to stay.'_

Fireheart had left camp with two other cats shortly after his outburst of anger, leaving quite a trail for many fox-lengths. Eventually, the trail became harder to follow and I found myself struggling to follow it. Even the scent became fainter and harder to distinguish, despite the fact that Fireheart and his companions smelled so different than the clan cats.

Suddenly, the smell strengthened and I found myself close to the edge of Windclan territory. I looked around, trying to see any of the three cats, and managed to barely glimpse an orange pelt sitting right on the edge of the border.

I approached cautiously, not sure of what his or his companions' reactions would be after seeing me, but I found him alone, just sitting there, eyes deep in thought.

"Fireheart?" I asked tentatively, and getting louder and louder once he didn't respond. He finally looked up into my face, eyes surprised for just a second before regaining his composure.

"Sandstorm." he said cooly. "Come to try to teach me a lesson? Say how much you wish I wasn't here? Just taunt me?"

"Actually, Fireheart…" I started before being interrupted by Fireheart. "Actually, it's Flame now. I left my old life far behind."

"Okay." I started again. "_Flame, _I've come to ask you to please consider staying? We really need you, more than you know, and the only cat who hasn't come to regret kicking you out is Darkstripe who was exiled a while ago anyways. Everyone in the clan wants you back Flame. Please?"

I saw Flame hesitate for a second, hearing the pleading in my voice, but when he spoke, his voice was full of conviction.

"Sure, you want me to stay." he said slowly, taking his time with each word. "But what about once you no longer have a use for me? What if I do something wrong again? What if I am accused of something I didn't do? Can you vouch for me then?"

I was at a loss for words, the truth in what Flame was saying hitting me deeply.

"Exactly." Flame said sadly. "I just can't risk my heart being torn again. I am happy now, and have a family and friends who I can trust not to betray me. I am sorry, but I will not join again."

I sighed sadly, turned away from Flame defeated, and started padding away, tail drooping. Once I got out of sight though, I heard something.

"Nice job." came the voice of the she-cat with Flame. "You really drove her off." Another voice joined in, the one of the tom with Flame.

"Yes, but I have a question. Do we really have to stay in Thunderclan for 2 sunrises before returning to Bloodclan?"

"Yes." Flame replied. "I may be many things, I may have killed many things, but I will not go back on my word. That is one thing I will never do."

"Okay, fine." the she-cat huffed. "But while we're here, we might as well collect information for Scourge. Who knows, we might even get a promotion!"

There was silence for a moment, I'm assuming to let Flame think, and sure enough, he spoke. "I think it wouldn't harm to collect info. Scourge is unlikely to attack the forest cats, many of which are almost as good as me at fighting, especially because the other clans would try to constantly drive us out. The only way to stay would be to attack all the clans."

"So, it's decided." the tom said in excitement. "Collect info, report to Scourge in two sunrises, possibly get a higher standing in Twolegplace, and best of all, get more respect!"

The rustling in the brush alerted me to the cats walking towards me and I quickly sprinted off, feet skimming the forest floor. '_I have to report to Whitestar!_' I thought, mind whirling with all I had heard. '_He must know the danger Flame will be to us!_'

**Okay, I lied. One more chapter will be from another perspective. I just want to ask you guys, which one do you want? Whitestar? Ice? Snake? Sandstorm? Or some other cat? Review or PM me if you want any one of these specifically, and if no one does, I get to pick. Mwahahahaha! :)**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	8. Chapter 6: The Training Begins

**Hi! Yes, I'm back! I won't get into the details, lets just say I was **_**super**_ **sick. Well… you guys don't seem super interested in giving ideas… Oh well, your loss! Mwahahahaha! Here we go!**

I was panting by the time I came back to camp, and cats looked at me curiously when I came crashing through the tunnel and up to Whitestar's den.

"Whitestar?" I asked cautiously, not knowing if he was even in camp.

"Yes Sandstorm?" came a reply. "What do you want?" I entered his den and looked at Whitestar, who was curled up in his nest.

"Whitestar… I, I have reason to believe that Fireheart... no, Flame may hurt the clans, not just our own."

"And what makes you say that, Sandstorm?" Whitestar replied, ears pricked and eyes focused on me.

"I followed Flame to try and convince him to stay. I… I couldn't convince him, although I think he was about to say yes, but when I was leaving, I overheard him talking to the two cats with him." I relayed what I had heard to Whitestar as quickly as possible, and his face quickly became concerned.

"Although Flame says this '_Scourge_' is no threat to the forest, he may become one, and any outsiders from the forest cannot know anything about us, especially if the whole of Twolegplace is behind him." I nodded my head in agreement, seeing sense in what Whitestar was saying.

"So what should we do?" I asked hesitantly. "Drive him out? Make him stay? Or should we give as little information away as possible?"

"Hmmm…" Whitestar hummed in thought. "I think we should maybe… Keep Flame away from the politics and importance in clan life, and if he proves to know too much, we must keep him here."

"Of course, Whitestar." I replied, dipping my head. "But shouldn't we also try and reintroduce him to clan life? Give him a taste of what he left? I just… I think it might be worth it, because if he stays, that solves both our problems."

Whitestar's eyes closed in thought, and when he finally opened them, the fear was gone, replaced with determination. "Yes." Whitestar said. "That is what we will do. Sandstorm, tomorrow, I want you to get Flame and his companions to do some battle training with the apprentices."

"Of course, Whitestar." I said, before backing respectfully out of his den and back through the curtain of lichen. When I walked down the rocks to the camp below, gone was my unsteady feet and fear in my eyes. Now. Now, we had a plan.

I woke in the morning to a slight chill in the air. "It looks like leafbare is almost upon us." Commented Yellowfang who passed me going to the entrance to the camp.

I just nodded my head in agreement, before padding to the apprentices' den. "Apprentices, wake up!" I yowled to them, causing them to scramble from their nests in their haste. "Today, with permission from your mentors, we are going to go learn some fighting techniques from Flame, formerly Fireheart."

"But.." said Bramblepaw uneasily. "Isn't Flame technically a rogue? Shouldn't we not be learning from him?"

"I see your point." I said to Bramblepaw. "However, Flame can still teach us, even if not directly interacting with you. Now come, we must go to the training hollow. Flame will not wait there long."

We arrived at the training hollow to see Flame and Ice facing off, claws barely sheathed. It was a mock-battle, practice really, but Flame and Ice looked to be taking it seriously. As soon as we entered the hollow, Flame stood up, Ice following his example.

"First lesson." Flame growled even before all the apprentices were sitting there. "Always keep your eyes on your opponents and get rid of them as quickly as possible. Ice and I will do a fight to start with. All you must do is watch, and then I will assess all of your fighting skills."

Flame returned to his crouch, ears flat, but eyes focused on Ice. She attacked first, leaping towards Flame, paws out to catch him in the face. At the last second Flame dodged quickly to the side, bringing his hind legs up and twisting them into Ice's belly.

Ice went flying, spinning through the air until she landed with a thump. She got up fast, although she was out of breath, and she leaped towards Flame again, this time, spinning around so her hind legs were pointed at his muzzle.

Flame used his own front paws to quickly deflect Ice's hind legs, but in doing so, he spun Ice so that she could slash out with her front paws. Flame stepped back quickly, shaking his head.

Ice leaped again, but Flame had already recovered and slid underneath her, all legs up. His front paws tripped her, and his back legs pushed hers over her head, sending her onto her belly. Flame quickly slid back, and put his back legs on Ice, one front leg on the ground, and another on her throat.

He quickly turned around, Ice struggling up behind him, all the apprentices looking on in surprise. "Now." Flame said briskly. "In a circumstance like that, you could either kill them, if necessary, or send them running by clawing their face or belly. Now that that's over, pair up and fight. I'll assess you based on this and then teach you what you need to know."

The apprentices kept staring for a moment, but quickly paired up when Flame hissed, Thornpaw with Bramblepaw, Tawnypaw with Fernpaw, and Ashpaw with Swiftpaw.

"Good" hissed Flame, stalking around them. "Now, fight. Use whatever you need, just win. No claws, no death. The only rule is, there are _no rules_."

**Just a little bit of update… The Shadows will be introduced soon. Any guesses for their role? My only clue is that it will be very… unexpected. Anyways, school, sports, family, yada, yada, yada. There really isn't much going on except that Finberry's Exile is in the process of planning. So far, the expected date of release is… February 20th. Btw... just some random information... this story is 20 PAGES LONG in Google Docs. 20 PAGES!**

**Anyways, cya!**

**Jenava**


	9. Chapter 7: Too Good, Perhaps?

**Chapter 7:**

Flame watched the fights with minimal interest, seeing as this training would do him no good once he went back to Bloodclan. But despite his best efforts, he started to focus on Bramblepaw. Him and Thornpaw were both older apprentices, and great fighters, but Thornpaw couldn't touch Bramblepaw. He was ducking and weaving and swiping with his paws at the opportune moments, always being a second ahead of Thornpaw. Although he despised Sandstorm, he slid over carefully to whisper to her.

"Is Bramblepaw always this good?" I asked quietly.

Sandstorm replied almost distantly. "Um… I'm not Bramblepaw's mentor but from what I've heard, no one can beat him."

"Well," I replied carefully. "He is… quite the fighter. I'm interested to see how he would hold up against multiple opponents." I didn't even realize I had said it, but I still walked to the center of the fights and stopped the apprentices with a single meow.

"Thornpaw, Ashpaw, Bramblepaw, stay here. The rest, go sit by Sandstorm." The apprentices moved quickly under my harsh stare, and I was glad they seemed to fear me. "Ashpaw, Thornpaw, attack Bramblepaw. Same rules as before." I said calmly before moving out of the way.

The apprentices all looked at me in surprise before quickly moving into positions facing each other. Ashpaw hissed at Bramblepaw, hatred showing slightly in his face. I was surprised by that, but didn't respond and filed the information away for future use.

Ashpaw and Thornpaw started circling Bramblepaw, swiping at Bramblepaw occasionally, to which he casually moved out of the way. They started moving faster, and Bramblepaw didn't swipe out even once. Finally, in frustration, Ashpaw leaped at Bramblepaw, paws outstretched, and Bramblepaw slid his claws along Ashpaw's belly.

"Ashpaw, dead!" I meowed loudly. "Bramblepaw. I must say I'm impressed." I said reluctantly. "However, I must fight you myself to truly assess you. Just be warned… This fight will not be easy for you."

Bramblepaw just nodded wordlessly and leaped at me. But I was prepared for him and stepped calmly to the side. Bramblepaw looked surprised, but recovered quickly, turning around and sliding into my legs. It was an unusual tactic but I jumped on collision and landed firmly on Bramblepaw's back. I could feel the muscles under his pelt, but he threw me off before I could get a good feel for him.

Bramblepaw's eyes were hard and determined, and I realized this would really be a fight. Bramblepaw and I leaped at the same time and collided in midair, claws grappling at each other. I swiped at his exposed stomach, remembering just in time to sheath my claws, although I wasn't sure when they had come out.

Bramblepaw was caught off balance, but managed to put in a swipe himself. However, he I was not as lucky as he was, and his claws entered my belly, tearing at skin and slicing it wide open. I staggered a bit and looked down to see blood pouring from me.

I just stared for a second, but the air started getting thicker, the light dimmer, and before it all turned black, I saw Ice's face contort in pain while she leaped towards me. And then the world was no more.

**I was gone cause some things happened. My Grandfather passed away, peacefully, thankfully, but I just haven't been up to writing any more yet, and only managed to write about 500 words for this one. I hope I'll be able to start writing more but… we'll see. **

**Cya,**

**Jenava**


	10. Chapter 8: New Lives, Old Deaths

**Chapter 8:**

**So, I went on a bit of hiatus because I really didn't have any inspiration for the story and was not having tons of fun with it, even after only 7 chapters. Anyways, I'm hopefully back now for quite a while, and hope I didn't make you all hate me too much. Tell me what you think of the chapter because before I wrote this, I did some serious reacquainting with the story and I'm not sure if I got the characters quite right.**

**Right! I'm back! New chapter! Yay!**

Pain is a blinding thing, it really is. And pain I felt, such as never before. Everything throbbed, and yet when I opened my eyes, I was not there among the apprentices. I was surrounded by… shadow.

Deep and thick, the shadow was swirling and changing and as I watched with no small level of deep, bone-chilling fear, the shadows formed into a cat. A black, swirling cat, but still a cat nevertheless.

"Flame.", said a deep, resonating voice that echoed as it changed, seeming to contain many voices. "You have finally come. For moons we have watched carefully, helping to prepare you for this time. And now, you will become a vessel for our revenge in the world of the living and wreak havoc upon Starclan and the Dark Forest."

The voices spat in contempt and the cat form moved to form into many, many more. "You shall be more powerful than any living cat, but to go back you must touch us."

"Wha… Who are you?" I replied, not answering.

"We are the cats who have been rejected from both Starclan and the Dark Forest, complete outcasts in life and death. Our names are no concern to you, but know we have been there since the beginning." the cat hissed back.

"Why me?" I asked, hesitant to go back. "Why am I to become your 'vessel'?"

The cats laughed back, the voice shaking with laughter. "We have been with you since the beginning. We orchestrated most of your life. Your exile was unseen, but your initiation into Bloodclan, your meeting and the deaths of the deputies of Darkclan, was all _us. _Everything was to lead you to us."

I just stared in shock, mind numb as they continued. "You were meant to die in a border skirmish with the clans, but this worked just as well."

"Wai… Dead?" I asked, still in shock, numb and not really understanding. "It was just a stomach wound, was it really that bad?"

"You are well and truly dead." the cat said back completely serious. "Currently your body is lying in the Thunderclan camp."

I howled in anger and sadness, voice echoing around endlessly. "Take me back." I said, breathing heavily, anguish and anger clouding my vision. "I will do what you want, just take me back."

"Of course." the voices purred back with satisfaction, paw reaching towards me, the cold filling my veins. "We will speak to you when you are needed." My vision started fading out as they finished, "You may call us… _The Shadows…"_

The pain came back abruptly, causing me to gasp sharply and open my eyes to the rain falling on my soaked pelt. I looked around, to see a very sodden, empty Thunderclan camp. There were no cats in sight, probably because of the rain and the darkness that suggested it was night.

I really didn't expect to find anyone sitting vigil for me, and wasn't disappointed, but my body was freezing cold, dropped roughly in the middle of the camp, dirt and mud covered, and stiff as an elder.

With a groan, I dragged myself up by my front paws and padded slowly out of the camp into the night of the forest. The pain in my muscles and gut almost knocked me out, but I gritted through it and managed to drag myself all the way to Sunningrocks.

The rocks were cold and hard, but I curled up and looked into the starry night, the thousand pinpricks of cold, harsh light and the countless ancestors that abandoned me.

The anger hardened in my stomach at this thought, and I thought to myself and the Shadows, "_Thank you. Thank you for bringing me back. Thank you… for giving me a chance."_

"_**Of course.**_" a voice replied in my head, making me jump in shock before remembering that the Shadows could talk to me whenever they wanted. "_**Thank you for helping us also.**_"

And with that final thought and a sigh of content and relaxation, I settled down to a peaceful, blissful darkness, without any worry or pain.

When I finally came too, it was to find loud, harsh yowls of shock, anger and surprise echoing through the forest. I groaned again at my soreness and stiffness and pulled myself off the rocks and through the forest. The birds were squawking indignantly at the noise in the trees, and I could barely make out mice peeking their heads and tails out of their little holes.

My belly rumbled so I snuck up on a mouse that, despite the loud yowls throughout the forest, was out nibbling on nuts. I leapt and caught the mouse with a twinge of pain. A quick snap of its neck and I sat on my haunches with a sigh.

"Thank you Starclan for this animal…" I started before I realized what I was doing and snorted in amusement. I decided to get closer to the Thunderclan camp where all the noise was obviously coming from before enjoying the mouse, and picked up the mouse in my jaws.

Coming closer to the camp, I dragged myself into a tree overlooking the chaos and settled into my mouse. When listening closely I was very surprised to find the camp up in an uproar, where I could faintly hear teams being organized to..._look for my body?!_

I stopped eating, mouth slightly open as I became shocked yet again. Why did they want to find me so much? It's not like they liked me or wanted me. Did they?

My confusion only doubled when I saw Ice and Snake at the head of the organization and chaos. I could faintly hear Ice's voice over the noise.

"Lets go! Elders can check the camp, apprentices can check the hollow and surrounding area. Warriors, split into teams of 5 and search for scents and the far out areas.! Lets go, go, go!"

"Why should we listen to you?" I heard Dustpelt ask faintly. "Who died and made you leader?"

"I'll tell you why you should listen to me." I heard Ice snarl back, voice surprisingly angry. 'If you don't look, me and Snake here will _rip your ears off_ and feed them to the dogs."

Dustpelt audibly gulped and wisely (in my opinion) left camp. I watch as cats moved around, organized and left, and, finally, Sandstorm, Ice, and Snake were the only ones left in camp.

"Why do you want his body so much?" Sandstorm asked in curiosity. "Why push the whole camp to look? Is it really that important?"

Ice looked back at Sandstorm while padding towards the entrance of the camp and sniffed in disdain. "Our cats will want his body recovered. They'll want a good look at it and may want to bury it."

I sighed, not really expecting any other response, and then, just barely thinking of it somehow, realized that these cats might have a crazy reaction to me being alive. With one last bite of my mouse, I licked my jaws and lowered myself a few branches. My stomach touched the wood and I settled down to allow the apprentices to find me.

My body started out tense, but then relaxed more as time went on. By the time I finally heard quieter voices heading towards me, I was very relaxed and feeling a little tired.

A group of three apprentices emerged from the brush and, just my luck, Bramblepaw was with them. Bramblepaw seemed to be the only one searching, the other two apprentices were just messing around.

As they were passing underneath, I shifted slightly, and bark showered down on them. They looked up in curiosity, and I saw their eyes open wide in shock and surprise as they saw me, laying on a branch, eyes slightly open and moving ever so slightly.

My exhaustion finally started to overtake me as the apprentices recovered from their shock and started running towards the forest, yowling at the top of their lungs. Bramblepaw was the only one that stayed, and in his eyes, still trained on me, I saw a single tear.

**There was a LOT of shock in this chapter. Finishing it felt great, and I think I did it the way I envisioned it. I hope it's as good as I think it is, and here's hoping everyone agrees. **

**I really hope everyone's happy I'm finally back, and here's hoping I didn't lose too many viewers!**

**Jenva**


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